Monday, April 6

With an old computer and 30 dollars worth of off-the-shelf components, you can gear up with cutting edge avian monitoring technology and help save the birds.

For years, birdwatchers counted by sight during the daytime. The night — when most migratory birds travel — was literally hidden to them. But that's changing. Anyone can attach a microphone to a computer running birdcall-identifying software and track birds passing overhead in the darkness.

"You wouldn't be able to understand what's happening at night without this technology," said Andrew Farnsworth, a Cornell University ornithologist. "And when it comes to recording the things I work on, that's something anyone can do."

But because many species migrate at night and are hard to find during the daytime, birders can miss them, said Farnsworth, or are forced to use proxy measures: If a bird seen yesterday isn't seen today, then it probably left. "It's not that the proxy methods are bad," he said, "but we're finding this method of nocturnal tracking can be incredibly powerful." Read more...

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This blog is written by me, a 26 year old plant biology and genetics student at Cornell University (who happens to be looking for a job: click for info). It is (among other things) an attempt to make science both interesting and accessible, as well as to convey the relevance of science in an everyday context - i.e. the direct affect it could have on you, today and in the future. I must warn that I consider myself many things, including competent to comprehend most research and convey basic meaning, but I am certainly not an expert in any field, and can therefore make no promises regarding the sagacity or acumen of the content. However, I think you will find this blog not only informative, but interesting - and maybe even a little humorous. I hope you enjoy.